


Immortal Fear

by songsofgallifrey



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Blood, Blood Drinking, Eventual Smut, F/M, Human/Vampire Relationship, Loki (Marvel) - Freeform, Loki is a vampire if that's not clear, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Vampire Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-06-12 04:25:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15331689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songsofgallifrey/pseuds/songsofgallifrey
Summary: In a world where vampires are commonplace but not entirely accepted, most of them are living very private lives, if not in hiding. The new town you have moved to is small, and there is only one vampire - Loki. Some accept him, most hate him. When a memoir novel written by a vampire stirs up trouble in your small town, there are few who will stand up for Loki, and even fewer who will accept his help.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the brainchild of my 10 year obsession with vampires and my 5 year obsession with Loki! This is not the same Loki from the comics or MCU - he is a vampire with Loki's powers and physical abilities. Archive warning is for later content, the only thing in this chapter is gun use at the end. Enjoy, and feedback/comments are greatly appreciated!

The stories told about him were never the same twice.

Local legends said he was born here hundreds of years ago, had been raised as a nobleman’s adopted son at the height of luxury and privilege, until… well, you knew who he is now. It had sullied the Odinson name and he was still trying to live it down.

You weren’t quite sure what to believe, since you had just moved to this little town a few months before, but you couldn’t help the prickle of fear that made your heart beat just a bit faster each time you drove past his house every day on the way to work at the bookstore, or the whisper of curiosity that followed in the back of your mind. It was the latter that made your eyes fix on the dark blackout curtains on the windows, but the former that urged you to drive on and mind your own business.

It didn’t take you long to learn his name - Loki. Everyone seemed to know him, in one way or another, and everyone had a story to tell. You heard about his pale skin and dark hair, as well as his penchant for leather and metal, each tale told with different inflections depending on who was talking. The town seemed to be divided into two schools of thought regarding the mysterious man - either they were fascinated by him and wanted to bed him, or they were repulsed by him and rather thought the town would be better off without him. You hadn’t met him yet, but you figured it was only a matter of time.

“He’s a vampire, you know.” Your new friend Victoria was squarely in the “Loki is a freak” box. She was opinionated but supportive, and she had been your rock these past few months as you adjusted to life in a small town. The pair of you were drinking coffee together at the bistro around the corner from where you worked, as per your usual Saturday morning plans.

“I know. And I didn’t even say anything about him,” you said as you caught yourself, and you raised your eyebrow at her. There  _ was _ a conversation going on at the next table, but you didn’t want to admit you were listening.

“You have that look on your face.”

“What look?”

Victoria frowned at you incredulously. “You get this puppy dog look every time you hear someone talking about him. I’m not dumb.” She took a sip of her coffee and crossed her legs, leaning back into her chair.

“I need to stop letting you hang out at the bookshop while I’m working,” you joked. “You eavesdrop on everyone. Including me.” You winked at Victoria and she shook her head.

“Seriously though, he’s a vamp. I keep telling people to stay away from him but folks still go missing. Girls can’t be too careful these days. Gotta see danger before it finds you, ya know?”

You smiled at her. “Yeah, I know.” It wasn’t exactly a secret that vampires lived everywhere, but legislation had them wrapped under so much tight control that they usually kept to themselves, even with the legal protections that kept people from straight out hunting them down. There weren’t any registered donors in this town, so you imagined Loki had to travel pretty far to get the blood he needed. It made you feel sad for him. You stared off at the opposite wall and took a sip of your iced coffee, and Victoria waved her hands in front of your face.

“Hello in there,” she teased. “Do you? Because my horror movie sense is tingling and I’m thinking that  _ you’re  _ thinking about checking him out.” 

Your phone rang right when you were going to answer her that you didn’t exactly have a death wish. “It’s my boss,” you groaned, and answered the phone. “What is it, Jerry?”

You flinched as a cacophony of voices and slamming of something (books? drawers? doors?) assaulted your ear. “You need to get over here now,” Jerry yelled over the phone. “Christine called out sick and Alex is on vacation, and I am  _ not  _ manning this disaster by myself!”

“Come on, Jerry, I’ve worked the last three weekends and you said I could have this one off.” 

Jerry sighed over the line. “Come in now and you can have next  _ week _ off for all I care, Alex will be back and he’ll appreciate your hours.”

Throwing your purse strap over your shoulder, you covered the mic and spoke to Victoria. “Emergency at work,” you mumbled, and rolled your eyes. “Jerry needs me to babysit him again.” Victoria laughed and choked on her coffee. 

As you left the bistro, you could hear the commotion from around the corner. You could have strangled Christine in that moment; the new vampire memoir called “Kings of the Night” had been released at midnight the night before and everyone was itching to get their hands on it, even the people who hated vampires. No wonder nearly every person in this small town was practically breaking down the doors of the only bookstore within 25 miles at 9:30 on a Saturday morning.

“Damn you, Christine,” you grumbled, and crossed the street to go down to the store. There were already people standing outside reading the book, some with wide grins on their faces and others with disgusted frowns. They all ignored you as you went inside to the mess of people arguing over the last few books - apparently Jerry had sold all 100 copies he had ordered for the store and it would be a week or more before the next shipment came in. 

“I pre-ordered this book weeks ago!” one woman insisted, clutching her designer handbag with one arm and playing a pathetic version of tug-of-war with a teenage girl dressed in black and purple with dark purple eyeshadow. The crowd of people stopped clamoring to watch the exchange.

“First of all,” you interjected once you got your purse secured behind the counter, “we didn’t take pre-orders. Second of all, you already have a copy of the book in your purse that you clearly didn’t think we’d see you steal.” 

The woman looked scandalized and released the book she was fighting over, holding her hand to her chest.  “How  _ dare  _ you? Do you have any idea who I am?” 

Jerry walked behind her and pulled the book out of the bag. “Apparently, Mrs. Walker, the fact that your husband is the preacher of the First Baptist Church hasn’t rubbed off on you. This gives us a pretty clear idea of  _ who you are _ .” 

You looked to Jerry, putting on an air of authority. “I think we should tell him that his wife was trying to steal the  _ vampire book _ from us, Jerry. What do you think?”

Mrs. Walker blanched. “I’ll pay for it! I won’t even take it with me! Just... don’t say anything and I won’t come back.”

Jerry turned to you and smiled once she left and you got the rest of the customers sorted out with rain checks. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, (Y/N), or how I did it for so long without you here.” 

You pulled the stool up to the register and took a long sip of your now-watered-down iced coffee. It tasted bitter but you needed the caffeine. “It’s easy to figure out, Jerry. This place was about to close when I moved here, and then the announcement of the vamp book came out in time to pick up business. It’s luck, that’s all.” 

The air shifted uncomfortably as Jerry came and stood behind you. He put one heavy hand on your shoulder and sighed dramatically. “I guess you could say that, well, fate brought you here to work for me. Right?”

You rolled your eyes and stood up, making Jerry’s hand move. “I wouldn’t go that far, Jer. I’m gonna go reset the display for the vamp books.”

Jerry watched you carefully as you set the cardboard display back up, and you felt his gaze on you so intensely that he may as well have been grabbing you with his hands. You hated the way he looked at you, and it was clear he liked you as more than an employee, but there was something about Jerry that creeped you out and kept you wary of him. If there was a better job you could get somewhere else, you’d quit and apply there, but jobs are hard to come by in a small town where there are so few businesses and everyone needs work. When you turned back around Jerry was ducked down behind the register and all you could see was his head and shoulders. 

“I need to go to the back,” he said, and turned around before standing. “Keep an eye out because you never know how those bigots will react once they get through that book. We may end up being vandalized.” That made you think as he walked to the back room; you hadn’t thought about the people who would be angry about the book. You wanted to read it yourself, but only out of fascination, while the other people may want the information in it as ammunition in their witch-hunt against vampires. It was repulsive to you, the way so many people were closed-minded and refused to accept and tolerate anyone different than them. Vampires had been around for a long time, and yes, they may have killed people in the past when they had no other choice, but these days there were donors and the blood banks that ran like soup kitchens for vamps who couldn’t afford to pay for donor services. They didn’t have to kill anymore.

Thoughts of bigots and vandals stayed at the front of your mind as you finished out the day, and you were a mess of nerves by 10 pm. After a twelve hour shift you were more than ready to go home. Jerry had left shortly after lunch, once he was sure no one else was going to come for the new book, so you had been by yourself for more than eight hours and you hadn’t had time to grab anything to eat for dinner. 

You were locking the front doors when you heard the car come screeching by, brakes squealing. It rounded the corner and the person in the front passenger seat aimed a gun out of the window, directly at you. Time stood still as you braced yourself, knowing you didn’t have enough time to dive out of the way - the gun was a shotgun and the spray would hit you regardless. You heard the roar of the gunshot just as you closed your eyes. Your heart felt like it had stopped out of fear. A second passed, then two, and three, and the car went back around the block. You didn’t feel any pain. With your eyes still closed, you patted your body to see if you had any wounds. You opened your eyes and nearly screamed at the shadowed figure standing over you. He clamped a cold hand over your mouth as the rear lights of the car rounded the block and disappeared. 

“Shhh,” he whispered. “You’re alright. Can you walk?” 

The soothing sound of his voice, accented and smooth like silk, let you relax enough to exhale. He moved his hand away, letting it drop to his side. Your knees shook violently and you leaned against the bookshop’s glass door, your trembling hands coming up to your chest to feel your pounding heart. Surveying the scene, you turned your head to look at the storefront glass, and gulped hard when you saw the holes peppered around you, stopping inches from your head. You felt like you couldn’t blink, and for some reason your lungs couldn’t get the oxygen to your brain enough to think straight. 

“Hey.” His hand came up to your burning cheek and the chill made you jump, but it helped focus your racing thoughts. You looked into his eyes, stunned by their icy blue depths. “It’s okay. I was just down the sidewalk and I heard those imbeciles coming from a mile away. I’m bulletproof, you see.”

It took a moment for his last sentence to dawn on you. “Wait,” you mumbled. “You’re…” 

Your overworked brain had trouble remembering his name but it was  _ right there. _

“Loki,” he said when you couldn’t come up with it, one corner of his mouth pulling up in a half smile. You caught a glimpse of a gleaming white fang before he closed his mouth again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News spreads fast in a small town - for better or for worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, this chapter is REALLY long. I promise not every chapter will be like this - buckle up and stay with me and I'll bring you on a ride you won't soon forget. I love Victoria. That is all.

_ I must be out of my mind. _

You rolled over in bed once again and tried to get comfortable. Every time you closed your eyes, you saw the gun aimed at you, heard the gunshot that could have,  _ should have _ killed you. You could have died right then and there, and no one would have known until the next morning. Then, as though your mind came up with its own balm for your anxiety, you saw eyes as cold and deep as glaciers staring down into your own, holding you willingly captive in their gaze. A shy smile, a sharp fang. Remembering it made your heart pick up pace again. 

He had shown you such kindness when he walked you to your car, which was still parked outside the bistro down the street and around the corner. He hadn’t made you feel obligated to speak, or even look at him, knowing you were likely still in shock, and as he scanned the streets for anyone else who might harm you, you managed to steal a few glances his way. 

The stories about his physical description hadn’t done him justice; Loki was easily well over six feet tall and was the perfect hybrid of skinny and muscular. He had shoulder-length hair as black as the night that he wore brushed back from his face in soft waves. Dressed in black from head to toe, he sported a well-worn black leather jacket with gold studs on the back and shoulders up to the collar, a black t-shirt that had a green snake on the front, black denim bootcut jeans, and black combat boots that were covered in buckles and zippers. On his left wrist was a gold bracelet with a charm on it that you couldn’t identify in the dark.

_ A punk vampire, _ you had thought to yourself, and your jitters nearly had you laughing at the thought.

Loki had watched you drive away, and he vanished into the night as soon as your rear lights couldn’t see him anymore. When you drove past his house you could have sworn he was there, peeking out from behind the blackout curtains on the first floor.

You sighed at your fixated brain.  _ You heard Victoria _ , you chastised yourself.  _ People who associate with him go missing. He was just being nice. _

Rolling over again, you reached for the bottle of chewable melatonin you kept on your nightstand and quickly chewed and swallowed two of them, and threw your head back down on your pillow, determined to go to sleep. You decided to count backwards from 200 to bore yourself to the point of sleep, and you reached 117 before you couldn’t think anymore.

When you finally woke up again, your head was buried beneath your pillow and your blanket was kicked to the floor. You had to unstick your cheek from the sheet because you had drooled so much. As your eyes focused you could tell that, judging from how high the sun was in the sky, it was likely closing in on noon. Groaning, you rolled over and picked your phone up off of the nightstand.

_ 11:27 A.M. _

_ 11 missed calls _

That caught your attention. The only people who ever called you were your mother, Jerry, and Victoria. Sorting through your call history, you saw 7 of those calls were from Victoria, and the rest from Jerry. You decided to call Victoria first.

“Girl, where have you been?!” Vic was frantic over the phone, and you could hear wind in the background; she was driving and talking at the same time. Her accent got thicker as she talked, something you had noticed she did when she was mad or upset. “Everyone’s talkin’ about it. You weren’t answerin’ your phone and people were startin’ to think he’d killed you! Where are you?”

You groaned again. “I’m at home, I just woke up.”

“He didn’t bite you, did he?” The question came out almost like an accusation, and you bristled.

“No, Victoria. He didn’t,” you said flatly, “but he did save my life.”

“He WHAT?!” You heard brakes screeching and someone shouting obscenities at Vic, and she had a few choice words for them as well. “I’m on my way to your place,” she said breathlessly. “You need to tell me everything. And please call Jerry before he has a conniption. He had me on the phone at 7:30 this morning. By the way, remind me to have my phone number taken out of the phone book.” Vic hung up and you ran your hand down your face, trying to clear your head.

You weren’t sure how word had spread like this, since you and Loki were the only ones around last night and the book store didn’t have any security cameras outside, but you did know this was going to be hell to sort out with everyone.

You dialed Jerry’s number and put the phone on speaker. “What the hell happened last night, (Y/N)?” was his greeting. “I leave you alone with the store and, what, kids pelted BBs through the window, and you don’t even tell me?! And what was this I heard about you and the vamp?”

“Jerry -”

“Don’t lie to me, (Y/N).”

You weren’t about to put up with Jerry’s attitude. “Damn it, Jerry! Listen to me! Last night someone came and shot at me with a shotgun and Loki happened to be there, right down the street. He saved my life, then he walked me to my car since I had just closed.” You had to stop yourself from smiling at the recollection.

Jerry processed that information for a few moments. “Why didn’t you call the police?” he demanded. You could practically hear his face getting redder as he yelled. “Or call me? I thought I could trust you.”

“Seriously, Jerry? I guess I was a little, I don’t know, how about shaken? I tell you I got fucking  _ shot at  _ and you’re worried about a few holes in the glass - which your insurance will pay for, by the way, not that you’d know, since you got  _ me  _ to look at the paperwork to renew it my first week there!” Your head started pounding and you massaged your temples. “Look, just call your agent and have them come out, I will call the police station and give them a statement, it’ll be fine.”

“Listen, can you come -”

“Goodbye, Jerry.”

You hung up your phone and slammed it down on the bed next to you. Choosing instead to focus on something else, you went to your bathroom and took care of business in there. You had just finished brushing your teeth when there was an urgent knock on your front door. Victoria burst in when you answered, visibly panicked and reaching for your neck. She turned your head from side to side as she inspected, and looked relieved when she was done.

“Thank god,” she sighed. “No bite marks.”

You rolled your eyes at her. “I told you he didn’t bite me.”

“I had to make sure. So what happened?” 

Vic saw herself into the kitchen as you relayed the previous night’s events to her, and by the time you were done she had made you and herself a cup of coffee. You took a grateful sip of it and sat in your overstuffed loveseat, tucking your feet underneath you. 

“So how did people know about him anyway?” you asked. “There was no one else around.”

“The bistro has outdoor security cameras,” Vic said simply. “When the owner was watching the footage from last night he called the police, worried that he had, I dunno, hypnotized you or something. The police never came out because the footage showed you driving off without him, but people started to talk, and, well, you know everyone knows me.”

You stared at the carpet, sipping slowly on your coffee as it cooled. “And now everyone’s going to know  _ me _ ,” you groaned. 

There he was again, in the corner of your mind. The blue of the swirls in your rug reminded you of his eyes. As you studied the light streaming across the pattern, you wondered if it was true what they said about vampires, that they had to sleep during the day or they’d burn up in the sun. You imagined what Loki would look like out in the daylight, the studs on his jacket shining like jewels, his skin like so much marble. Thinking back to the night before, you remembered the touch of his hand on your cheek, how cold it had been, even in the middle of summer.

Cold as death.

“(Y/N)? Earth to (Y/N).” Victoria spoke a little louder and interrupted your thoughts. “Oh, no you don’t. You have that puppy dog look again.”

“I do  _ not _ .”

Vic sighed impatiently. “So where does that leave you with him?” she asked, her head tilted sideways. You studied her face, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern. Maybe she was starting to come around, since Loki  _ had _ saved your life.

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “I’m sure he was just doing the right thing, I mean, he was right down the road and he said he heard them coming. It doesn’t mean he’s going to stalk me or keep watch outside my window.” You laughed into your coffee, and even Vic had to snicker at that. 

“You know what I just thought about, (Y/N)?” Victoria frowned, deep in thought. “He didn’t have to do that. I mean… if he was just a dead asshole, he wouldn’t have blinked an eye at you getting shot. Free meal, you know?” You flinched. “But he did. I don’t know how, but he did.” 

Neither of you could think of anything to say to that. It  _ had _ occurred to you while you were trying to get to sleep last night, and it was still at the front of your mind - Loki had said he was bulletproof, but you had noticed that the bullet holes in the storefront glass stopped in a circle around both of you, as if he had held out an invisible shield. It baffled and intrigued you - you had heard rumors before that some vampires had powers or abilities, so maybe Loki did too?

Downing the last of her cup of coffee, Vic stood and came over to where you were sitting. She sighed and shook her head, her dark curls bouncing, and she bent down and kissed the top of your head. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” she said, surprising you with the relief in her voice. “Please make sure you file a police report today, you’d be surprised what you’ll remember when you think about it. I gotta jet, but I’ll call you later, okay?” You nodded and took the mug from her, and she went out the front door, mumbling to herself about garlic perfume. 

You yawned and stretched, your stiff muscles protesting your odd sleeping position. It had to be close to or just past noon, which meant it had been 24 hours since you had eaten. Just as you were wondering what would be open for lunch on a Sunday aside from the bistro, which you wanted to avoid at all costs until this whole Loki thing died down, your stomach growled loudly. You knew you didn’t have much to eat at home, and there was  _ no _ way you were going to brave the bistro, so you decided to choose the lesser of two evils. 

_ No time for lunch _ , you thought.  _ I’ll just grab some coffee and a pastry at the police station. _

_ ……. _

Holding one hand over your gurgling stomach - you  _ had _ to come on the one day the station wasn’t stocked with snacks - you watched the officer sitting in front of you at his desk as he typed out your report in his computer. 

“And did you see what kind of car it was?” Officer Davidson asked you for the fifth time, in his droning, monotonous voice that would put the perkiest people to sleep.

You yawned again, shifting your hips in the uncomfortable chair. “No,” you repeated, “I was a bit busy getting shot at.” You were tired of relating the same story, over and over. You had been here at least two hours and you were  _ starving. _

“Miss, I know this is frustrating, but we just don’t have much to go on. You don’t remember anything about the car, or the people in it, or anything about the gun except it was a shotgun. Lots of people around here have a shotgun.” Davidson pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Thinking about it more may jog your memory.”

“What about Loki?” you asked, genuinely curious why Davidson hadn’t mentioned him already. “He saw everything, why don’t you let me go get some lunch and then call him tonight?”

Davidson cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, uh, we can’t use testimony from the undead, miss (Y/N). It’s the law.”

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” you groaned. “The only witness, and you won’t take his word. Well that’s just great. And no one calls them ‘undead’ anymore, by the way.”

“If I may be frank,” Davidson said, frowning deeply, “it’s probably a good thing their word is admissible, at least for them, because for one thing, that vamp what wrote that book would probably be arrested if his word could be taken up as a confession. Basilton didn’t write it until that law was passed and he knew he wouldn’t be convicted of murder.”

Maybe it was inadequate caffeine, maybe it was hunger, but his comment made you see red, and you stood up so fast it knocked over the flimsy chair you were sitting on. “The only reason vampires used to kill people was because they’d be hunted if the people they drank from ratted them out,” you spat at him. “They don’t do that anymore and it’s people like you, still perpetuating stupid myths, that keep vampires from being equal members of society. Now if you’re not going to help me, I may as well just go.” 

You turned to leave and Officer Davidson grabbed your wrist. “Listen well,” he murmured through his clenched teeth. You tried to pull your arm away but he was stronger than you. “Folks around here like things a certain way. Ain’t no point in goin’ against the flow here. Stay away from Loki or you’ll find your time here to be  _ real  _ difficult, you hear?”

You stared at him, adrenaline emboldening your tone as your heart raced with anger. “Is that a threat?”

Davidson released your wrist and returned to his computer. “That’s a promise. I’ll finish this up and see if any of the businesses around the block had outdoor security cams. Don’t say I can’t do my job.” He looked back up at you with narrowed eyes, and you took a step back. “Remember what I said.”

“Loki saved my life,” you said slowly, emphasizing each word. “You’re lucky you’re dealing with this instead of a murder. If that means nothing to you, I’m not the one with a problem.”

You drove home from the station in a huff, more hungry than before. Still determined to avoid the bistro and the associated drama, you called Victoria and asked her to run to the bistro for you and pick up a sandwich and a drink.

Half an hour later Vic was knocking at your front door, and your jaw dropped when you saw what she brought. 

“Which catering company did you rob?” you teased as she brought the armful of trays in and sat them on your dining table. Box after box of every Chinese food you could think of covered the entire surface. “Um, Vic, we can’t eat all of this.”

Victoria waved her hand dismissively. “Child, you never have food in this house. Now go get a plate.” You loved having her in your life - Vic’s unpredictability often meant she was almost always an impulse away from a grand gesture.

It was exactly what you needed, an afternoon of girl time to decompress and talk about meaningless things. Apparently Vic was fending off a lot of nosy people asking about the bistro footage, and had kept them from hounding you all day. Once again you wondered how in the world you could have gotten on in this town without her. The one thing you  _ wanted  _ to talk about, you avoided, knowing it was a bad idea to bring him up.

“I can’t believe Davidson mouthed off at you like that,” Vic said around a mouthful of sesame chicken. She had gotten food all over her white tank top - the one she wore to show off her summer tan that she really didn’t need with her gorgeous amber-brown skin - and she decided to just take it off in the middle of talking so she was in her jogging bra. “That’s better. Anyway, he’s an ass. Most of the time the cops around here don’t know which end is up. I bet he would have arrested you for arguing with him if he could’ve gotten away with it.” 

“You’re probably right,” you agreed. “It doesn’t matter, he said he’d take care of it. I don’t think he’ll bother Loki since he said the word of a vampire is legally meaningless.” You looked up at Vic and she had her eyebrow raised at you again. “What?”

“Nothing, I just hear you talking about him a lot, is all.”

“He  _ did _ save my -”

“Save your life, I know. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful he did.”

You stirred your teriyaki shrimp and vegetables with the rice in your bowl. You weren’t sure why you felt so defensive of Loki all of a sudden; it wasn’t like you knew him as a person. Victoria seemed to be riding the fence when it came to him now, and saving you was certainly a huge plus in his favor. But the prospect of actually seeing him again made your stomach flip. You would be lying to yourself if you believed it was entirely because you were afraid of him.

“You like him, don’t you?” Vic’s voice was soft, not sad or accusational, but surprised. 

You met her dark brown eyes and all you could think of was Loki’s blue ones. “I don’t know,” you said honestly. “Maybe it’s the fact that he - you know. Maybe it’s because he’s…”

“Insanely hot?”

You laughed. “I thought you wanted me to stay away from him!”

“Hey, I may be wary, but I ain’t blind. I’ve seen him before, and yeah, I guess I wouldn’t kick him out of my bed if he crawled in it. In other words, I wouldn’t let him  _ out _ once he got in, if he was human.” Vic laughed so hard she snorted, which made you laugh along with her. 

“In all seriousness, though,” Vic continued, “just be careful - whatever you do. I can’t make you stay away from him if you don’t want to. I’d be a fuckin’ hypocrite if I tried. I see the spark in your eyes. I may not have known you long, but I  know you well enough to know that once you have your mind made up about something there’s no changing it. I just don’t want to see you get hurt. Vampires can be dangerous. Some out there only see us as refrigerators for their next meal.”

You set your bowl on the coffee table in front of you and looked out the window. It was evening but it was still a few hours away from sunset. You knew Victoria had a point but curiosity and plain old hormones were getting the better of your sense. “I was thinking I might go see him tonight, just to thank him for yesterday,” you mumbled, distracted. “I mean, it feels impolite not to.”

Victoria was silent for a moment before she replied, her tone tentative and maternal. “Want me to go with you?”

Your heart skipped as you imagined Loki answering the front door of his huge house, all tall and imposing, and you realized you didn’t want Vic to be there to see the way you were probably going to react to him.

“I think I’ll be okay,” you said with mock confidence. “I’m just going to pop over there for a minute.”

“Well, I’m gonna put the rest of this food in the fridge for you. Please go to the store in the next couple of days, girl.” Victoria winked at you and rose from the chair, slinging her white shirt over her shoulder. 

“Why do I need to do that when you bring me enough food for an army every time I run out?” you teased. 

When Victoria finally left, after insisting you call her when you got home regardless of what time it was, it was right at 6 in the evening, and you were starting to feel tired from all the Chinese food you ate. You took the dirty dishes to the kitchen and washed them, thinking all the while about what you would say to Loki when you saw him. Would he want to see  _ you _ again? You chewed on your lip as you thought of the possibility that Loki had done what he felt like he had to do and didn’t want anything else to do with you. Would he slam the door in your face? Would he answer the door at all?   Sunset was still a good three hours away, and you didn’t want to sit around waiting, so once you were done you decided to go out walking toward Loki’s house. Armed with your taser and dressed in comfortable jean shorts and a racerback tank top, you set off. 

Loki only lived about a mile from your house so you kept your pace slow, taking in the scenery you normally drove past too quickly to really see. You had music playing on your phone, which was tucked in your pocket, and it was nice to have some time to yourself after such a busy and hectic day. You even stopped for a while to sit on a bench and gather your nerve, trying to think of every possible scenario and how to react, but all it did was make you nervous all over again. Just as the first colors of dusk touched the sky, you started walking again, and it was fully dark by the time you reached Loki’s property. You were so distracted by your thoughts that you tripped over a hole in the sidewalk and scraped your knees and palms trying to catch your fall. 

_ Oh, this is just fucking great, _ you swore at yourself, wincing as you wiped the rocks and dirt out of the scrapes.  _ I’m going to a vampire’s house covered in my own blood. Vic would drag me back home by my ears if she was here. _

With a slight limp, keeping your hands clasped in front of you, you headed up the walkway to Loki’s house. The large manor was surrounded by several acres of neglected brown lawn that probably hadn’t seen a mower this century and had dried out a long time ago. A few old rose bushes, some red and some pink, were growing beneath the first floor windows, their branches tangling together into one snarled plant. You imagined the house had once been white, when it was kept pristine, and in the continual humidity and relatively extreme temperatures with no maintenance the paint was starting to peel. Most people had accused Loki of being lazy or arrogant for not taking care of his property by himself, but you saw the deeper side.  _ What’s the point of keeping up appearances, _ you thought,  _ when no one cares enough to look? _ Your heart pounded in your ears as you approached his front door. Knees shaking, hands trembling, your mind a frozen wreck, you nearly considered turning back and going home for the hundredth time. You forced yourself to raise your arm and knock three times, and held your breath as you waited for an answer.

After what seemed like an eternity you heard several different locks unlatch on the other side of the door, and the knob turned, the door opening a few inches to reveal Loki’s curious face. He smiled when he saw it was you, and opened the door wider. He was wearing the same outfit he had worn the night before, except his t-shirt was now a plain white, form-fitting muscle shirt. Your heart lodged itself in your throat and the words you were preparing yourself to say evaporated the instant you met his eyes.  

You could stare at those eyes all night.

“You’re still alive, I see,” Loki teased, his tongue playing with one of his fangs. His warm, elegant voice slid down your spine and pooled in your belly. Loki’s nostrils flared and his smile faded as his eyes went down to your bloody knees. “What happened?” he asked with genuine concern. He peered over your shoulder and scanned the street. “Did someone try to hurt you again?”

You laughed, your cheeks flushing an embarrassingly deep pink. “No, I, uh -” You sighed, shifting your weight from one foot to the other. “I… tripped on a hole in the sidewalk.” It sounded stupid when you said it but Loki didn’t look like he was going to make fun of you. Centuries-old manners, you supposed.

“Come in,” he offered, stepping away from the threshold to give you room. “I can take care of that for you.”

_ This is it, _ you thought, fairly sure your heart had skipped past ‘racing’ and went straight to ‘humming’. Loki’s hand found the small of your back as you passed him, the contact sending a jolt of surprise through you when you felt how cold it was, even through your shirt. You stopped in the foyer with your mouth hanging open, momentarily stunned by the interior of the house. As unkempt as the outside was, the inside was like something out of an edgy interior decorating magazine. Spotless mint green paint covered the walls, with black moulding, dark brown wood on the floor, and gold light fixtures. You could see the living room to the left, and the blackout curtains in the windows that kept the room completely devoid of any outside light.

“This is beautiful,” you breathed, and Loki smiled softly at your compliment.

“Come,” Loki said, gesturing grandly toward a sitting room to the right of the front door. You noted with curiosity that there were no windows in this room, just an ornate jeweled chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He led you over to a black leather couch and motioned for you to sit down. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone I could do this,” he murmured, and took  your hands in his after he sat down next to you. Loki pursed his lips and seemed to hold his breath, and he closed his eyes, holding one of your hands in both of his. They felt so soft, despite feeling like he had soaked them in ice, and they swallowed yours in their size. After a moment you felt a tingling, slightly itchy sensation in your palm, and when you looked down you saw a green light coming from Loki’s hands. 

“There,” Loki said proudly, and you inspected your now-healed palm. You gasped and turned your hand over, trying to let your disbelieving mind catch up while he worked on your other hand.

“How did you do that?” you asked, completely in awe. You had never heard  _ this  _ particular rumor about Loki. 

A smile tugged the corners of his mouth up slightly. “It’s just something I’ve been able to do since I was… well, turned,” he explained gently, as though he feared you were going to run away. “I can do minor wounds, like cuts and, as you can see, scrapes. I can also heal…” He stared into your eyes, and you were drawn in, hanging on to every word. Your lips parted and you swallowed hard as you waited for him to continue. 

“Bite wounds.” 

You blinked and Loki looked away, visibly embarrassed by what he said. “That’s amazing,” you assured him, surprising yourself when your words began to come more easily. “I can imagine how hard it must be to keep it to yourself, to live in a place like this. To have to hide who you are.”

“Yes,” Loki said quietly. “Sometimes I wonder whether I would prefer if mortals didn’t know we existed.” You saw him fidgeting with his fingers, so you reached over and placed one of your hands on his. He cleared his throat and rose to his feet. “Why don’t I get your knees now?” he offered. 

The sudden change of subject had you thrown. “Oh, uh, sure,” you stammered. “What do I need to do?”

“Just sit there, I’ll kneel on the floor.” 

_ Oh. _

Loki folded his long legs and lowered himself to the rug in front of you, his knees resting between your feet. You suddenly found it hard to swallow, and you breathed slowly to try to control your trembling legs as his hands got closer to you. You could smell him again, a scent you had picked up the night before but were too scared to notice it - a dizzying combination of leather and an earthy, spicy cologne or aftershave. It gave you chills as it filled your senses. Instinctively you jumped when one of his hands circled around to the back of your knee, his thumb brushing the bottom of your thigh, and his other hand closed over your bleeding kneecap. Loki was leaned over your leg, focusing intently as he worked, and you were so focused on him that you barely felt the tingling. You gasped when the hand on the back of your knee slid higher, inches from the bottom of your shorts, and just as quickly as he had moved it, he switched to your other knee, thankfully without looking at your face.

Once he was finished, Loki smiled, staring at your knee with pride. “It felt good to do that,” he admitted, and gazed up at you, his fangs shining in the light of the antique chandelier on the ceiling.

Head warred with heart inside of you, and your heart won. You leaned forward slowly, your eyes locked on Loki’s, and held your breath as you waited to see if he would move. Your hands covered Loki’s, your head tilted to the right, and your lips were suddenly less than an inch from his. You could breathe him in, the very air from his lungs as cold as his skin.

The tinkling of broken glass broke your concentration, and Loki leapt to his feet, his eyes widening in panic as a brown glass bottle with a burning cloth in its neck soared through his living room and shattered on the wooden floor, scattering liquid and spreading flames with it. 

“GO!” Loki shouted at you, but before you could move the fire quickly spread into the foyer, blocking the front door and consuming the rug in front of it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know what you're thinking - REALLY?? Yes, really. Stay tuned. Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fire does more than burn - it can often bring forth new beginnings, and expose dangerous foundations.

There comes a moment in every person’s life when, regardless of past traumas or fears, you experience a moment of clarity when staring Death in the face. When you know exactly what to do and how to stay alive, when instinct clears away the fog of anxiety and you spit in Death’s eye. A moment to tell your grandchildren about when you’re old and gray.

This was not your moment.

You jumped up off of the leather couch, backing away from the fire to the far corner of the sitting room, your heart racing so fast you weren’t sure it wasn’t going to burst from your chest. The flames licked up the wall to the ceiling while Loki watched, horrified. Smoke filled the air and began to rise as more and more synthetic fabrics burned, the acrid smell quickly making your eyes sting. Adrenaline had you tensed and ready to act, but fear had frozen your limbs, a dangerous combination when your life is at stake. You wanted to move but your legs wouldn’t respond to the command from your frantic brain.

“ _ That fucking book _ !” Loki shouted, barely audible over the sound of the flames. 

Finally words found their way from your brain to your mouth.“Loki! We need to get out of here!” you screamed, coughing violently from the smoke. Your voice reminded Loki of your presence, and in a movement that was faster than you could perceive he dashed over to you and threw you over his shoulder like a fireman, making his way toward the back of the house. One of his arms circled around your upper thighs  like a steel pipe. 

“Hold on,” he yelled to you, so you clung to his arm and he took off running again. The flames in the front of the manor had spread to the sitting room, and the smoke was making it hard for you to breathe, making your head spin and panic from lack of oxygen.

As you both came down the hallway toward the kitchen - and the back door, you presumed - you heard glass breaking again. Two small explosions, a few seconds apart, herded Loki away from the safety of the kitchen, and he cursed loudly, turning back around to go up a flight of stairs. The sudden change in direction forced your fingers to scramble to find purchase on the studded leather on his back, and when you looked up, you saw the massive kitchen being consumed in flames.

_ I’m going to die, _ you thought frantically, closing your eyes and burying your face in the crook of your arm.  _ You only get one near-death experience… _

Loki carried you up the stairs so fast that he didn’t even jostle you. “Cover your head!” he shouted, and you curled in on yourself, your heart hammering, your lungs aching. You lost all sense of time passing, then you heard more broken glass, a searing pain dug into your leg, and you were flying.

You opened your eyes when you felt cool night air on your scorched skin, and you could see a broken window on the upper floor of the manor getting farther away from you each second. Before you could scream, Loki had maneuvered himself between you and the ground. He landed on his back in the grass with his arms tight around you, groaning with pain once he was able to get his breath back. Your head was pressed against his chest, one of Loki’s hands tangled in your hair, his other arm wrapped firmly around your ribs. You made no move to get up, your muscles trembling so hard that they were beyond coordination for the moment, and Loki did not loosen his grip on you. With your ear so close to Loki’s cold body, you could hear the breath whoosh in and out of his lungs - and you were able to hear his drastically slowed heart rate. 

Temporarily stunned, you made yourself stop panicking long enough to take inventory of your body. Loki had taken the brunt of the force of your fall, and your face, chest, and the front of your legs felt like they had been sunburned from the heat of the fire. Your lungs burned, as did your eyes, mouth, and throat, but they would probably be okay. Shock, anxiety, terror, and anger warred for a spot in the front of your mind, but all you could muster was relieved tears.

Loki groaned again, and embarrassment kicked in, forcing you to roll off of him onto the ground. “I’m so sorry,” you tried to say, but it caught in your throat and came out as “I’m s-” before you started to cough. You wiped your eyes and tried to breathe slowly. Loki sat up and his eyes widened in horror once he saw the fire through the front windows. Smoke was just beginning to pour out through the broken glass.

“I’ll call the fire department,” you offered, reaching for your phone in your pocket, but Loki held up his hand to stop you.

“Don’t bother,” he grumbled. “They won’t come. I’ll take care of it.”

“What?” 

You weren’t sure you had heard him right, but Loki ignored your protests when he stood up and rushed back into the burning house. You tried to stand and felt the pain in your leg again, and you fell back onto the ground to inspect it; evidently a piece of glass, likely from the broken window, had cut a deep scratch into the back of your calf, at least six inches long, and it was bleeding freely, turning your sock and shoe a deep crimson on the heel and ankle. Black spots danced in your vision at the sight of it, panic dropping into your stomach like a ball of ice. It was too much, too much to process, too much happening at once, and your mind was racing but still slow, like it was being dragged through thick mud. 

_ Where was Loki? How was he going to ‘take care’ of the fire? What if he got killed in there? _

Something cold touched your cheek and you yelped in surprise. Your heart lodged itself in your throat again and Loki caught your flailing arm and knelt to the ground next to you. “It’s just me,” he said, his voice low and calming. “Let me help.” You turned your head to look at the broken windows and saw only a thin line of smoke remained of the inferno that had raged only moments before. 

_ How _ -?

You focused on Loki’s face as he healed you, and you couldn’t help but notice the increased size of his fangs, the rippling tension in his neck, and the changed color of his eyes. Where they were an icy blue before, black had swallowed the color in his sclerae and irises until all that was visible was a void so deep that his eyes almost looked like they weren’t there at all in the limited light from his porch lamp. Even as the gash in your leg stitched itself back together and your mind was still a jumbled mess of panic, you felt a warmth low in your belly, a budding curiosity begging to be fed. 

_ Two life crises in as many days has seriously scrambled up my priorities,  _ you scolded yourself.

Once Loki was done he looked back up at you, his hand still resting on your leg. His black eyes slowly shifted back to white and blue, and his fangs retracted to their normal size. “The house will be fine,” he assured you. “It’ll take some extensive repairs, but I got the fire put out.” Loki’s fingers flexed on your calf, and the movement sent a jolt of surprise through your body.

You swallowed, trying to make your mind keep up. “H-how?” you stuttered, every nerve on high alert when you saw Loki scent the air and dart his eyes around. 

“That, my friend, is a story for another time,” he said cryptically. He laughed, a strange sound after so much fear and nearly dying,  _ again _ . 

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Loki said, smiling. “I just realized I never got your name.”

You mirrored his smile, laughing so hard more tears gathered in your eyes. “Well gee,” you drawled, your words dripping with teasing sarcasm, “that’s awful personal for perfect strangers!” 

Loki looked down at his hand, his smile holding, and saw he was still touching your leg, so he put it in his lap and picked at his fingers. Gingerly you touched the nearly-invisible scar on your calf; you could swear you could feel the tingle of Loki’s magic, or whatever it was, still buzzing under your skin.

“My name’s (Y/N),” you said quietly. “I came here tonight to thank you for saving my life yesterday, and you wound up saving me again.” After you said it you realized with an ache of guilt in your stomach that it was probably your fault. “I’m sorry,” you mumbled. “I think this town has a grudge against me and you’re getting caught in the crossfire, I guess.”

Loki frowned. “You came here on foot,” he deduced, and reached a hand out to help you to your feet. “Who knew you were coming tonight?” 

“Just Victoria,” you said, puzzled, once you stood up. Your sock and shoe felt odd with drying blood caked in them, but aside from that and the minor side effects from fire and smoke exposure you were no worse for the wear. 

You brushed the browned grass and dirt off of your shorts and legs. “She’s my friend,” you clarified. “I told her I was coming here just a few hours ago. And she wouldn’t do this to me.”

“Then I can only conclude that whomever did this tonight didn’t have you as their intended target,” Loki grumbled, his expression somber. “It had to have been someone who has read the vampire memoir and who also takes offense to my kind.” 

“Why is that?”

Loki’s hands clenched into fists. “That book details the most common and efficient ways to kill a vampire, information that has been a closely guarded secret for centuries for this very reason. We as a species have created false stories about vampires through the years as red herrings so humans felt more secure in their safety, thinking they knew how to identify a vampire and kill them - and now the humans know what’s true and what isn’t.” He studied the bracelet on his wrist, fiddled with the charm that you still couldn’t make out. A red stone on the charm glinted in the light from the front porch. “That book… it’s tattooed a target right on the forehead of every vampire out there.” 

The weight of this revelation slid down your spine and chilled you to the bone. Your copy of Kings of the Night was sitting on your bedside table, but you hadn’t had the opportunity to start it yet. It was abhorrent to know people out there who had hated and hunted vampires all these years now had the unofficial manual to do so correctly.

“How could he get away with something like that?” you asked, crossing your arms around your body in the chilling air. “Wouldn’t it put a target on his  _ own  _ head to give away vampire secrets?” It was difficult to imagine a man like Basilton being able to hide from vengeful vamps seeking justice for his loose lips (or fingers, as it were). Not when vampires were monitored so closely by the federal government.

“That’s what I’ve tried to find out, with little results,” Loki spat, snarling with fury. He kicked a loose rock and it sailed over the yard into the road. “It just doesn’t make any  _ sense _ ,” he said, more to himself than to you.

A car sped past the manor’s property, one of its headlights out, and the driver stared as they passed. Somehow the air felt heavier than a few moments before, weighed down by the significance of Loki’s statement.  _ It  _ **_doesn’t_ ** _ make any sense,  _ you realized. You were starting to feel exposed out in the yard, thinking about angry vampires and the people who wished them dead, but it probably wasn’t safe to go back in yet. You cleared your throat and scuffed your shoe on the dry grass, your fingers tangling as you tried to unscramble your brain.

“You should go home,” Loki mumbled, and turned to face you. His stoic face was unreadable but you could see his fangs extended so far he had to keep his mouth open. The tension in the forward set of his jaw hinted at the storm brewing within him, so you nodded. 

“I guess I should,” you agreed, a bit reluctantly. “But… do you have anywhere you can stay tomorrow? You know, after the sun comes up?”  

Loki met your eyes, his fangs retracting as a weak smile spread across his elegant face. “Yeah, I know a guy about fifty miles from here I can crash with until my house is fixed.” He looked around again, his eyebrows knitting together for a moment until he came back to you. “How are you going to get home? It’s probably not a good idea walking by yourself in the dark right now.”

_ Oh, shit, that’s right, _ you thought, and nearly smacked yourself in the forehead for being so stupid. You should have just waited a little longer at your house and came in your car.

“I, uh - I guess I wasn’t planning on getting attacked tonight,” you joked, attempting a smile. “I can call Victoria and she can come and get me - and I can imagine the shit show that will be spreading around town tomorrow.”

Loki came closer to you, his hand outstretched, and chuckled once. “Why don’t I show you something else I can do?” he asked, his eyes glinting mystically in the dark night. You stared at Loki’s hand, your heart skipping a beat as you tried to imagine what he was going to do. “Don’t worry,” he assured you, “I won’t bite.” 

There was that smile again, making you weak in the knees when he ran his tongue over a fang like he did when you met him. 

_ Why are people scared of this guy again? _

“O...kay,” you said slowly. Loki stepped forward again and took your hands in his, lifting them to wrap around his neck. You laced your fingers beneath his soft hair, and Loki bent down slightly to circle his arms around your torso. He splayed his fingers out over the exposed skin on your shoulders, making you shiver. The position gave you no choice but to tuck your head beneath Loki’s chin. His deep voice vibrated against your temple as he spoke.

“Hold tight, and don’t look down.”

“Wha-”

Before you could finish your question Loki leaped high into the air, so fast that it squeezed the breath from your lungs. Your hair swirled around your head and it felt like you were flying through the air on your back, so against his advice you opened your eyes, only to see trees and houses whizzing by below you at inhuman speed. You shrieked briefly, making Loki laugh, and before you were able to picture the horrible ways you could die if he dropped you he placed you on your feet in a patch of gravel. 

Your knees buckled in surprise and Loki caught you under your arms before you fell. Breathless from, well, whatever just happened, you didn’t notice where you were until you tore your eyes away from Loki’s and saw your own car.

“This… this is my house,” you said as your eyes confirmed this observation, your sense of reason in disbelief. “How -? When did you -?” 

“Not all of us can do this, but I haven’t known another vampire who could, so I don’t know how many can,” Loki answered, knowing your half-questions probably wouldn’t be finished. “So I’d appreciate greatly if -”

“If I kept this to myself,” you finished, nodding. “I think I can do that.” 

“Listen,” Loki began, his tone making your heart slow down a bit so you would hear him. “I have to go. I don’t want you to blame yourself for any of this. No,” he insisted, seeing you had opened your mouth to interrupt. “it’s not your fault, and as much as I would like to take the blame, it’s not my fault either.” He sighed, and reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “I… I would like to see you again, if that’s okay with you.”

If you had been able to take stock of your vital signs in that moment, you would have sworn that your heart and brain both stopped. The ‘yes’ that you were trying to say got stuck somewhere in your throat. 

_ Yes! Just say yes, woman! _

Before you could get the word to come out, Loki pursed his lips and laughed dryly. “Of course,” he said quietly, shaking his head. “It’s probably not for the best, I suppose.” You started to shake your head back at him, tried so desperately to speak, to force the words out of your lips,  _ yes I want to see you again _ , but Loki turned away from you and he was gone as suddenly as he had taken you there.

You turned to trudge to your front door and froze when you saw Vic, standing next to her car at the curb, looking up  toward the night sky, flabbergasted. 

“What the hell was that?” she asked with awe, her voice just above a whisper. At last she looked down across the lawn to you, her lips forming an “O” of surprise. “And what’s this I heard about a fire at Loki’s place?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feeback are welcome! Come find me on [Tumblr!](https://nerdyfandomfics.tumblr.com)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria has some 'splaining to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update! This is a bit of a filler chapter so I could fit in a couple of plot twists and get to the good stuff in the next chapter.

You squinted and peered into the driver’s seat of Vic’s car, glaring at her when you saw Scott - her on-and-off beau she could never quite explain why she liked, who happened to be a known bigot against vampires - lighting up a cigarette. He tilted his head up at you in acknowledgement that he saw you but didn’t say anything. Scott was about as observant as a brick wall; clearly he hadn’t seen Loki bring you here or leave, or he would have been making a ridiculously stereotypical scene.

 

That was when you noticed what Victoria was wearing. Clad in nothing but a long t-shirt that hit halfway down her thighs and wearing no shoes, Vic was a disheveled mess, and it looked like she had been crying. Loki’s words ran through your mind as you tried to make sense of her appearance and her sudden knowledge about the fire.

 

_ It had to have been someone who has read the vampire memoir and who also takes offense to my kind. _

 

“How did - why is he - you know what? Never mind.” 

 

You threw your arms up and shook your head, turning toward your front door again. Your jittery hands shook slightly as you sorted through your keys. Just as you found the right one you coughed violently and dropped them, cursing yourself. You heard Vic’s bare feet padding across the grass and she picked the keys up for you, one hand on your shoulder. 

 

Her touch sent a shock through your arm and when she looked in your eyes you could have sworn you heard her voice in your head for the briefest second, screaming  _ it’s all my fault! _ as clear as day as though she was shouting it into your ear. 

 

You stared at Vic, her eyes wide as you took the keys from her hand. “What did you say?”

 

She swallowed visibly and cocked her head to the side. “I didn’t say anything, you must be hearing things, trauma and all that.”

 

Victoria slid her hand down your arm, making you flinch at the tingle of energy you felt. She furrowed her eyebrows at you. “Are you gonna be okay by yourself tonight?”

 

It was too much to think about - the fire, Loki, Scott, Vic, this weird feeling you were getting from her - so you just nodded. “Yeah I’ll be fine,” you said, a little faster than normal. “I, um, I just need some sleep.” You pulled your arm away from her, shrinking into yourself and trying to control your already labored breathing.

 

Vic looked unconvinced. “Okay, as long as you’re sure.” She turned around and went back to her car, where Scott was sitting with his head laid back and his stupid baseball cap over his face. You heard them argue when she got in on the passenger side, and you decided to go in your house before you got dragged in. 

 

As you showered and watched the dirt and dried blood flow down the drain, fatigue sinking to your bones, somewhere in your tired brain it clicked that things in this town were never going to be the same after that night.

 

…………………..

 

“I don’t like this.” 

 

Victoria sat up on the bed next to Scott, her head in her hands. She had the blanket pulled up beneath her arms in the chill trailer air and her nerves were making her shiver. 

 

Scott rubbed her bare back, still laying on his side. “What is it, babe?”

 

“Don’t call me that. I just… I had no idea they were going to pull that stunt tonight. They said it wouldn’t be until next week, when no one was around.”

 

“Oh, that? It was cool, huh?” Scott laughed and reached for his beer bottle that was sitting on the nightstand. He took a swig and belched, making Victoria cringe. “It was Helena’s idea,” he continued, and adjusted his hat. “Had no clue the bitch was that crazy, but when you mentioned (Y/N) was going over there tonight she figured we could kill two birds with one stone. Scare ‘em both reeeeal good. You should’ve seen it, babygirl, it was beautiful. That house is dry rotted from the inside and it went up like tinder on a campfire, best as they could tell.” He laughed again, harder, and held his hand over his hairy and muscular stomach as he took another drink from the bottle. The cheap stuff stunk, and Victoria hated it when guys would drink around her. They always got handsy, or stupid. Or both.

 

“What the fuck are you talking about, Scott? It was Helena who said y’all weren’t going to try anything with him while there were humans around. Why her? She’s my friend!” Victoria had to stop herself from shouting. There were eyes and ears everywhere in this trailer park, and the walls were thin. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, looking for her clothes. A swat to her backside made her jump out of Scott’s range. 

 

“Stop that! God, you’re such an ass! Where are my clothes? I’m gonna go check on her, just drive by her house or something. She was really scared.”

 

“I told ya, babe, Gunner got ahold of your nightshirt, the dumb dog, and you put your clothes in the washer ‘cause they were covered in Chinese food, remember?”

 

“ _ Stop calling me that! _ ” 

 

Victoria went to Scott’s dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt to put on. Once she was dressed she went toward the bedroom door, but Scott jumped out of the bed, still naked, and blocked her, his imposing figure towering over hers. He was a foot taller than her, and had nearly a hundred pounds on her, all muscle, as he took his job as a road crew worker seriously. Vic swallowed and tried to maintain her composure as his eyes bore down into hers, slightly unfocused from the alcohol. She pushed slightly on his chest but he was as unmoving as a boulder.

 

“Now, darlin’, don’t go and get your feathers all ruffled. You gotta decide who you’re loyal to, and remember who it is that allows you to  _ know  _ what you do. And I can guaran-goddamn-tee that she ain’t gonna be happy if I tell her you turned your back on us.”

 

Victoria sighed. “Fine,” she conceded with a huff. “I won’t tell her. Now let me go before I grab that beer bottle and shove it where the sun don’t shine.”

 

“Don’t be like that,” Scott teased with a fake sickeningly sweet tone, and reached for Victoria’s hair, giving it a light stroke and threading his fingers in it. She turned her head away but he stayed with her until she looked in his eyes. “There you are,” he murmured, his eyes dark and dilated. “Stay with me and we can forget this whole... thing happened. I won’t say nothin’ to Helena at the meeting tomorrow.” His grip on her hair tightened until she hissed with pain. “And  _ you _ won’t say nothin’ to your little friend. Keep hanging out with her. Learn more about that bloodsucking devil.”

 

Victoria’s eyes were watering from Scott pulling so hard. She blinked a few times, not wanting him to think she was crying. “I’m not going to spy on her. She already thinks there’s something going on. I heard it when I touched her.”

 

Scott let go of her hair and leaned in close, making Victoria gag at the smell of his beer breath. “I think you’ll find you don’t have much of a choice,” he said, the threat in his tone clear. 

 

Victoria turned away from him without another word and got back into his bed still dressed. She felt the bed dip behind her as she rolled to the side, facing the window, and Scott slid himself close to her back and put his arm around her waist and inside the shirt. The smell of him, the touch of his fingertips on her stomach, made bile rise in her throat.

 

“Mmm, that wasn’t so hard, now was it?” 

 

As Scott drifted to sleep Victoria was so shaken and distracted that she forgot to block him out of her head, and she could hear all the disgusting thoughts he had about Loki and the creative ways he could kill him. For the millionth time she wished there was a way out.

 

……………………………….

 

Jerry had given you the week off for coming in Christine’s place on Saturday, but you knew when you were jolted out of a dead sleep on Monday morning by the alarm you had forgotten to turn off that the last thing you wanted was to stay at home. You picked up the phone with one eye open and called Jerry, telling him as much, and he waited a moment before responding.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

You sighed, unimpressed by his sudden concern. “I really don’t want to talk about it, Jerry. Can I come in?”

 

“Well fine, if it’s gonna be like that, I don’t care,” he said dismissively. “The new shipment of the vamp books came early and you can get the display restocked. I’ll call Christine. Don’t be late.”

 

After a quick cup of coffee you left your house a good half-hour early so you had plenty of time. On your way to the bookstore you saw three vans from three different companies parked in front of Loki’s manor, and several people walking in and out of the front door. You slowed your car down to get a better look and noted the front window had already been replaced, along with the second floor window Loki had broken the night before to get both of you away from the fire. It felt like a lifetime had passed since then, when it had only been twelve hours or so.

 

More plates of glass were being carried into the house, likely to replace the kitchen windows, and you were glad to see one of the vans was marked with the logo of a fire and water damage repair company. Pulling away before you were noticed, you thought about Loki, wondering where he was today and how on earth he got someone out to his house so quickly, especially out in the middle of scenic nowhere.

 

It seemed no time passed at all before you reached town. It all looked normal, but to you it felt like everything had changed, like the blinders had been removed from your eyes and you were starting to see there was more to the people here than met the eye, and not in a good way. As you parked in one of the spots in front of the bistro, you took a few deep, calming breaths and tried to ignore the people sitting outside staring at you. Being the talk of the town was something you had avoided for months now and you weren’t exactly keen to answer everyone’s questions.

 

You were so focused on getting to the bookstore without dissolving into the cracks in the sidewalk that you ran headlong into Vic outside the door. She handed you a cup of iced coffee from the bistro after she recovered and you took a grateful sip, not ready to talk just yet. Vic put her hand on your shoulder and you flinched, making her smile fade.

 

“Listen,” she said quietly, scratching her head, “I wanted to talk to you about last night. I can explain everything.”

 

“I would hope so. Follow me in.” You weren’t exactly  _ mad  _ at Vic, but these days it felt like everyone was hiding something and you had thought the two of you were closer than that now.

 

Victoria followed you into the bookstore, where Jerry stood smiling behind the checkout counter. A huge pile of boxes stood behind him, one of them on the counter in front of him. He patted it and held up a box cutter as you came in. 

 

“And here I thought Christmas wasn’t for another three months,” you quipped, coming around the counter to put your purse and coffee down. Vic snorted at that, and you offered her a small smile. “Go ahead, Jerry, I’ve got this.” It was going to be a long day of restocking books, but at least it would give you something else to think about. 

 

Jerry went to the back and grabbed his bag, avoiding you and Vic as he headed to the door. “Just don’t get yourself killed,” he called to you right before he walked out. You sighed.  _ That’s Jerry, always tactful. _

 

“Can I help?” Vic spoke up after he was gone, uncharacteristically timid, and you nodded, handing her the first box of books after you opened it with the cutter. She kept talking as she stacked the books on the display, continually looking over her shoulder to ensure no one was standing outside. 

 

“Last night, after I left,” she explained, her voice wavering as she spoke, “I went over to Scott’s, to have some… company. He’s, um, good company.” You rolled your eyes but didn’t interrupt. It was no secret that Vic went through guys like some women go through shoes. “I don’t know if you knew this, but he’s Sheriff Davidson’s nephew. That’s why he hates me, he’s never thought I was good enough for Scott.”

 

You gaped at Vic, and she paused to look over her shoulder at you, a bundle of books under her arm.  _ That must be one reason he treated me like he did after the shooting,  _ you thought, taking another sip of your iced coffee.  _ If he knows Vic, he knows me. _

 

“Scott told me he had heard of someone who was going to try to burn the Odinson manor down, to drive Loki out of town. Apparently whoever did it last night called the fire department right after, because Scott got a call from Davidson, who was laughing so loud I could hear him over the phone.”

 

By then Vic had stopped stacking the books and was standing there in front of the display with her arms crossed over her stomach, her normally-dark skin taking on a sickening pallor as she continued. “When I overheard the conversation I wanted to drive to Loki’s house, to make sure you were okay. Scott insisted that I wasn’t in a fit state to drive, so he got in and drove me straight to your house.”

 

You stared down at your arm, remembering the shock you had felt when she had touched you, the sound of her voice in your head somehow still lingering like a ghost. It didn’t feel like Vic was outright lying to you, but you could tell she was leaving something out.

 

“I don’t know, Vic,” you said quietly, “I just don’t understand why all of this is happening. How you always seem to know what’s going on. Why you warned me to stay away from Loki at first and then last night you talked about how hot he is. Why you’re spending so much time with that asshole Scott when you know who and what he is.”

 

“Come on, now, I’m not  _ that _ much of an asshole.”

 

An electronic bell sounded as the front glass door opened, and Scott himself came into the store, his eyes fixed on Vic, who was frozen in place like she was a rabbit trying not to flee from a wolf. Scott sauntered over to Vic and put his arm around her possessively, and turned his attention to you. 

 

“Sorry to hear about your dead boyfriend,” he sneered, pushing his hat back on his head. “Heard he’s gone missing.”

 

You rolled your eyes at Scott and crossed your arms, annoyed he had interrupted your talk with Victoria. “Loki’s not my boyfriend, and what the hell are you talking about?”

  
Scott made an exaggerated sad face, poking his lower lip out in a frown. “Oh, you didn’t hear? He was supposed to check in with his donor this morning, and no one knows where he is. My uncle told me the emergency contact he gave doesn’t exist. He’s gone.  _ Poof.  _ Up in smoke.” He laughed at his own crass joke, squeezing Vic’s shoulders. “Figuratively speaking, anyway.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one is as they seem - and Vic's loyalties are tested.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been 84 years but it's finally here. After this chapter things will pick up pretty fast.

Victoria picked at her normally-immaculate nails as she watched everyone come in and take their seats in the circle of chairs in Helena’s massive basement. If she didn’t find a way out of this, her nails weren’t going to be the only thing in bad shape. Just that morning she had watched as her hair washed out by the handful in the shower, and what breakfast she had been able to eat was sitting like a rock in her stomach and making her queasy. Guilt soured her mood, and the night before she had dreamed about Helena making good on her promise. It was all culminating into a mass of paranoia and nerves in her brain, and she had to squeeze her hands together to keep them from shaking.

Just as Vic tried to dismiss Helena from her mind she felt the air shift with the woman’s power as she came into the room. Helena’s perfectly straight black hair that she usually kept up in a strict bun fell over her shoulders today, and her conservative black dress was replaced with a tailored black pantsuit with green pinstripes. Her sharp green eyes searched the room until they saw Victoria, and the corner of her mouth pulled up in a smug half-smile. Vic swallowed hard and corrected her posture under Helena’s intense gaze, and the way she crossed the room, with her hands clasped in front of her and with a purposeful stride, made Vic wish she could evaporate into thin air.

“There you are, child,” Helena said calmly, as though she were talking to a 5-year-old and not a grown woman. “I understand you have a lot to share today, it pleases me that you joined us.” Her eyes narrowed as she sensed Vic’s mood. “You are conflicted. No matter, the truth will come out.”

Vic opened her mouth to defend herself but Helena turned around to address the group. “The truth  _ always  _ comes out, doesn’t it, my children?”

“Damn right, it does!” Sergeant Davidson shouted, putting his fist up in the air. Vic chewed on the inside of her lip to keep herself from talking.

“No need for that kind of language, Hunter,” Helena chastised him. “But I do appreciate the enthusiasm.”  

Scott spoke up from the chair next to Vic’s, on her left. “Any word on the bloodsucker yet?”

A chorus of excited murmurs followed Scott’s question, and Helena had to hold her hand up to silence them. “None yet,” she said, emphasizing the  _ yet _ , “but I do at least know he is alive. I have eyes and ears everywhere. I promise I will inform all of you if and when he is seen.”

Victoria took in a deep breath as quietly as she could. She always hated coming to these meetings, and if she had a choice she wouldn’t come at all. Being around you made her see them as the bigots they were - and Helena was the worst, as the leader and holder of the power of sight. Vic tried to swallow her disgust as Helena cut her eyes at her, likely hearing or at least feeling what she was thinking. 

“Now,” Helena continued, taking the seat on Victoria’s right and folding her hands in her lap. Her eyes darkened as she spoke, her smile fading into a harsh scowl. “I think a few of my children need to be reminded of what happens when you act without my word. Daniel.” A tall, thin boy in worn jeans and a brown thermal shirt sank down in his chair. “Jason.” The boy to Daniel’s right turned his body away as his face turned crimson. “Colton.” A third boy, an overweight late teenager trying to make his way toward the door, froze in place when Helena called his name. “Come to the center of the circle.”

The boys did as she asked, standing sheepishly in the middle of the chairs and avoiding Helena’s eyes. “As I told our friend in the force, I empathize with and can appreciate enthusiasm,” she began, her honeyed words laced with venom. “I understand it was you three who were responsible for last night’s fire, however. I gave very clear instructions not to try that until I gave you my signal. Now we have a witness - a sympathizer, yes, but a witness nonetheless.” 

Silence filled the room as the group collectively stared a hole in Victoria’s forehead, but she set her eyes on the opposite wall, focusing instead on a monotonous black and white painting of a large wolf. She nearly jumped out of her chair when she felt Scott’s meaty hand squeeze her shoulder excessively hard.

“We shall address that soon,” Helena continued, “but for now the three of you need to remember your place.”

Victoria looked away as Helena held up her hand, all too familiar with Helena’s punishments, and she clenched her jaw as she heard the boys gasping for breath. She could hear snippets of Scott’s internal praise for himself for not speaking up, and his gratitude that he was not part of the boys’ lesson in Helena’s patience. 

Once Helena had had enough and she released them, Daniel, Jason, and Colton scrambled to their feet and sat back down in their seats. 

“Loki is not to be underestimated,” Helena said seriously, folding her hands in her lap. “I have earned my right to say that even I can’t kill him on my own. That is why I have gifted our lovely friend here with a share of my own power, so she could help us get closer to the one who will help us bring him down.”

Victoria couldn’t ignore the stares this time.

_ …………………….. _

_ Two weeks later _

“Thank  _ god _ ,” you mumbled to yourself, slamming the register shut as soon as you got all the money balanced out and the deposit put together. The bookstore had stayed open later than usual at Jerry’s whim - likely to keep you around him longer, you figured - and it was nearing midnight, and you wanted nothing more than to go home and crash in your bed. 

“Oh, come on, being here with me isn’t  _ that  _ bad, is it?” Jerry poked his greasy head out from his office in the back of the store and you turned to see the smile he thought was goofy but was just plain creepy. You rolled your eyes at him and grabbed the deposit slip, practically running to the back to give it to him so you could leave. Instead of taking the plastic slip in his hand, he took your wrist as you turned away. “Want to get some coffee, since you’re all freed up?”

You stared blankly at Jerry, ready to unleash a tirade of sarcastic comments you had bitten back for months, but since you didn’t want to lose your job, you just sighed and closed your eyes.

“No,” you said simply, and pulled your wrist from his grip, secretly delighted at the shocked look on his face. You let the glass door slam loudly behind you as you left. No point in giving Jerry any room to make assumptions.

Grumbling to yourself about stupid men and their clueless little minds, you got in your car down the block and made your way toward your house. You hated that Jerry always brought out the worst in you, but given that you had heard nothing but hearsay and gruesome rumors about Loki since he had disappeared, and Vic was more or less avoiding you since Loki had flown you home and you had -  _ somehow _ \- read her mind, you hadn’t slept more than two hours a night for two weeks and it was beginning to wear you down.

A mile or so from your house, you rubbed your fatigued eyes and out of habit you glanced toward Loki’s now-repaired and seemingly abandoned manor, nearly running off the road when you saw the light on upstairs, and the person-shaped shadow in it.

You slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the curb, staring unblinking at the light until you saw the shadow move. There was definitely someone in there - but was it Loki? Did someone break in? You didn’t want to call the police, since they had made it obvious how they felt about Loki and vampires in general. They would probably be useless.

Your heart pounding in your ears, you got out of the car and approached the gate. It was unlocked and it didn’t look like anyone had broken it. Quietly, slowly, you tiptoed toward the house. Whoever was on the top floor wasn’t standing there anymore. In the dim, yellow light coming from the porch you could see the front door was standing open. Just when you were about to go up to it you heard a car pulling in behind yours and you whirled around, expecting someone like Scott or one of his bigoted buddies, but instead you were greeted with the sight of Victoria’s terrified face as she got out of her car and ran toward you.

“What the _hell_ are you doing here?!” she hissed, her keys jingling in her hand as she came up to you.

“There’s someone in there, look!” You pointed to the top window, and as soon as Vic saw it her face lost its color. 

“Is it him?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out! You can come with me or you can leave, but I’m  _ going _ .”

Vic retrieved her taser out of her glove compartment and followed behind you as you walked up the sidewalk toward Loki’s house. As you got closer you could see his door was open, just an inch or so, and it didn’t look like it had been forced open. You turned around and put your finger up to your lips, signaling Vic to be quiet.

You pushed lightly on the door and peeked your head around the frame to look into the dark sitting room to the right. Without any windows it was impossible to see anything, so you pulled your phone from your pocket and turned on the flashlight, your keys in your other hand in case there was someone waiting in the shadows. Vic clung tightly to the back of your shirt, her hand shaking as she wielded her taser into the retreating darkness.

With your heart in your throat, you took a step in the door and aimed the light where you remembered the couch was, against the front wall. 

Lying there with his eyes closed, looking deathly pale and with sunken cheeks and disheveled hair, was Loki, stretched out over the length of the couch fully dressed and asleep. You gasped, every muscle in your body poised to run.

“ _ Loki! _ ” 

The shout escaped your lips before you could control it. You dropped your phone and it landed with the light facing up, the sound startling Loki awake, his eyes gleaming in the low light. He hissed and covered his eyes, and in a split second he was out of the circle of light, his arms wrapped around your chest, his nose exploring the curve of your throat with a deep inhale. You yelped but didn’t try to move, but Vic screamed bloody murder and backed away to the front door.

“Shut up, Vic!” you yelled, fear nearly turning your legs to jelly. “Loki, it’s me. Do you remember me? (Y/N)?”

Loki took a moment to smell you again and he released you with a groan. “What the fuck are you doing here?” He spat the question like an accusation but it lacked the usual bite of wit he was known for. In fact, his voice sounded almost…  _ empty. _

You turned to face him and saw him sway for the briefest second before he dashed back over to the couch and lowered himself down. He rested his head on the back of the couch and sighed heavily. 

_ What the hell is wrong with him? _

“You look like shit.” You jumped when you heard Vic speak from behind you, her voice surprisingly strong considering she was ready to bolt just a few seconds ago. You glared at her over your shoulder and motioned with your head toward the light switch, and she went over to it and flicked one of the switches on, casting the sitting room in the dull yellow light of the electric chandelier. 

Loki  _ did  _ look awful, like he hadn’t eaten or slept since he had been gone. His normally tight-fitting leather pants and t-shirt were baggy on him, the skin around his eyes was purple, and his complexion had taken on a sickly gray hue, even in the yellow lights. He took shallow breaths and his hands shook. Loki was barely a shell of the vampire everyone knew.

It hurt your heart to see him like this, even not knowing what caused it or if he could even be helped. You looked to Vic, who shook her head at you but said nothing as you approached Loki slowly. 

“What happened to you?” you asked softly. Not wanting to startle him again you walked with heavy steps and sat on the couch very slowly so you could get a better look at him. You laid your hand on his icy one and grasped it tightly, and your chest squeezed as you felt the tremors and deathly cold temperature of his skin. Loki didn’t flinch, so you saw that as a good sign he didn’t want you to leave. 

Loki’s nostrils flared as he scented the air. “You really shouldn’t be here,” he groaned, and you saw his fangs extend as he spoke. He turned his head and opened his eyes, and they were fully black just as they were the night of the fire. Your heart began to pound, primal instinct to flee threatening to overpower your need to help him. 

“Maybe he’s right, (Y/N),” Vic mumbled. She hadn’t moved from her spot near the door and she was staring at Loki like a deer in a hunter’s crosshairs. “Maybe you should go home and wait until he’s seen his donor.”

“I won’t make it that long.” Loki’s voice was hardly above a whisper but the significance of his words echoed as though he had shouted it. 

You leaned closer to Loki, one of your hands reaching toward his face. Black as they were, his eyes were as empty as his voice, watery and weak. Patches of dirt and blood framed his cheekbones and you could see leaves and mud in his once-immaculate hair.  

“When was the last time you fed, Loki?”   

He stared up at Vic and held her gaze, making her shiver under his stare. “It’s been... some time,” he croaked. “I can’t explain.” Loki closed his eyes and scrunched his face up, one arm coming across his chest. “Normally I could wait until tomorrow to see my regular donor. But this wound… I have a broken rib that’s punctured one of my lungs. I can’t heal it until I’ve fed and I’ve lost a lot of blood as it is.”

Your stomach dropped as he lifted his shirt to show you the massive bruise beneath his skin, beginning just under his arm on his left side and blossoming across half his chest and down toward his abdomen. 

“What were you going to do if we hadn’t shown up?” you asked, close to scolding him. “Were you just going to die here without anyone knowing you’ve come back?”

“Not that they’d care.” Loki laughed and immediately groaned in pain.

“Loki, stop that.”

“I was going to get something… oh yes. You, over there.” Loki smiled wide, looking at Vic, and she jumped to attention. “There’s a couple emergency bags of O neg in my fridge. Make yourself useful. Cut one open and pour it into a cup, there’s a microwave next to the -”

“I ain’t dealin’ with no blood, I don’t think so.” 

Loki raised his eyebrow at her. “Are you volunteering yourself then?”

“Fine,” Vic huffed, and stomped off toward the back of the house. You could hear her rustling around and mumbling to herself, and when you heard her start the microwave you turned your attention back to Loki.

“Where have you been?”

Loki frowned and looked away from you. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Come on, Loki, you’re gone without a trace for two weeks and you come back all bruised up and bleeding internally and you expect me not to care?”

Loaded silence and a breathy laugh, then Loki sighed. “I thought your sense of self preservation was stronger than that,” he said, turning his head slowly to look down at you. “They say hanging around someone like me will get you killed. It nearly has.”

You paused, staring into his black eyes, and wondered if he was actually looking into yours or just in your general direction. Your eyes drifted down to where he was picking at his lip with his fang, and you let go of his hand. “I’ve been worried about you,” you confessed. “I know we’ve only met a couple times, but there’s something going on around here that I can’t figure out. I thought they - whoever  _ they  _ is - had killed you. Believe it or not, you seem like the sanest person here.” Your face flushing hot, you had to look away as Loki smiled sideways at you.

Just then Vic came back up the hall with a large ceramic mug full of what you assumed was warmed blood. The disgusted look on her face - and the towel she had wrapped it in - hinted that she had spilled some on her hands. You stifled a laugh and she stared daggers at you as you took the mug from her hands and gave it to Loki. He smiled gratefully and took a sip, grimacing around the rim of the cup, but within a few seconds he had the contents drained.

“Gods, that’s awful, but better than nothing,” he mumbled. He had some blood smeared across his upper lip and you watched with morbid fascination as he wiped it off with his thumb and licked it clean. “Let’s see the damage now, shall we?”

Loki lifted his shirt again and you and Vic both gasped when you saw the bruise receding exponentially to a central location on the side of his ribs. You heard a loud  _ pop _ and Loki winced as his rib presumably healed and went back into place. 

“Thank you,” Loki said quietly, looking from you to Vic. The color in your friend’s face quickly went from pale to red, and when you met Loki’s gaze again his eyes were back to blue. Even the shadows around his eyes had disappeared, but he still looked skinnier than he did before. Loki smiled again and reached for your hand, and his skin was surprisingly warmer than any other time he had touched you. It made you think of the first time you had come to this house, the way his hands felt on your knees, one sliding slowly up your thigh...

“How… you didn’t even… you weren’t going to drink from us?”

Vic’s small voice interrupted your thoughts and you looked over your shoulder at her. “Of course not,” you said simply. “Why would you assume that?”

“He - he was hurt. He jumped you when we came in. I always thought that… “

“That we can’t control our bloodlust?” Loki spoke up, the leather couch squeaking as he sat upright. “That as soon as it’s time for us to feed, we go hunting for the nearest victim? I only acted as I did because I was weakened and startled out of sleep. You could learn a lot from us,  _ human _ , if you bothered to ask. Don’t believe everything you hear from the masses. They only have as much control of you as you grant them.”

Victoria swallowed hard and looked at her feet. Loki turned his attention to you and took your hand in his, making your heart trip over itself as his fingertips followed the path of the lines in your palm. “Thank you,” he said quietly, his eyes softening, the color in them lightened to so pale a blue they almost looked silver. “It is due to your curiosity and swift action that I will make it to see my donor tomorrow.”

You shrugged, your eyes drifting down to where Loki was picking his fang with his tongue. You realized you were thinking about wanting to touch the sharp tip of it, and you made yourself say something before the silence stretched too long. “Honestly I thought someone had broken in and was stealing your stuff,” you admitted. “And the police around here are about as uncooperative as they come when it involves you, it seems.” 

Vic huffed under her breath. “That’s the understatement of the century.” Tapping her foot, she glanced around the room. “Where is your bathroom? Do you  _ have  _ a bathroom?”

You sighed impatiently and Loki gestured toward the hallway. “End of the corridor, last on your left. There’s a pull switch by the door.”

Vic raised her eyebrows at you in a question -  _ you okay? _ \- and you nodded. Once her footsteps receded down the hall, Loki looked down at your hand, still in his, and turned it over so he could see the back. Slowly, almost nervously, he traced circles on your skin with his fingertip, making you breathe a little faster. This prolonged skin contact with Loki was leaving you a little lightheaded, in a pleasantly surprising way, and the way he kept dragging his tongue across his lip and catching it on his fangs was making you think of things you knew you shouldn’t think about someone you barely know.

“You know, your friend was not  _ entirely  _ wrong about her assumption,” he said quietly, catching your attention. “There are vampires out there who still ascribe to the belief that we are biologically superior to you and you’re nothing but cattle to us.”

Your answer came easily. “But you’re not one of them.”

“No,” Loki affirmed, meeting your eyes with his piercing gaze. “I’m not one of them. Even when I was younger, less in control, I didn’t want to kill anyone, and I would drink just enough to slake my thirst and then heal them, wipe their memory, and send them on their way.”

This sudden outpouring of information from Loki caught you off guard. In the several months you had lived in this backwoods town, you had heard so many terrifying stories about him that painted him as a monster, an uncaring and unfeeling creature of the night that was incapable of empathy or mercy. No one trusted him, and even the ones that wanted to sleep with him were terrified of him. And yet here he was, more human to you now than nearly anyone else. Nothing about him scared you, not the blood, not the powers or the fangs or the fact that even though he was giving your hand featherlight touches now he could reduce you to nothing but an empty pile of flesh and bones without breaking a sweat, and almost did just a few minutes earlier.

“Why do you trust me?”

You frowned at Loki, startled by his question. You could tell he wanted an honest answer, so you thought about it before answering. “I just do,” you said simply. “It’s hard to explain. It’s true that I don’t know you very well, but if there’s one thing I can tell about you, it’s that you care enough to have saved my life twice now, and you’ve lied to me a hell of a lot less than anyone else in this crazy town.” 

Loki laughed again, a breathy and unsure laugh that felt forced. “Oh, I’ve told my fair share of lies in my lifetime,” he said. “It’s kind of my thing.” 

“But not to me.”

Loki reached out with one hand, waiting for your reaction as his hand slowly approached your face, and you leaned into it as he cupped your cheek. He turned sideways on the couch and leaned toward you, his eyes darting between your eyes and your lips, and he took a deep breath before closing the short distance between you, pressing your lips together with a sigh. Your heart started pounding in your chest and you reached for the lapels on his leather jacket, pulling him as close to you as you could. After a moment Loki opened his mouth slightly and you swept your tongue over his, tasting the metallic tang of the blood he had drank. You jumped when you felt Loki’s free hand rest on your thigh and his fang caught your lip as you pulled back from the kiss. 

“What the hell! I leave the room for a minute and y’all start makin’ out?!”

You jumped when you heard Vic behind you and you laughed to cover up your nerves. You hadn’t even heard her coming back down the hall, so you figured she had snuck back so she could spy on the two of you. Loki simply stared up at her until she turned back to you.

“I need to go,” she said impatiently, her keys in the hand resting on her hip. “I have class in the morning and it’s late. But I’m not leavin’ until I see you go first.” 

Loki spoke up, likely sensing your hesitation. “Go on, I’ll be alright,” he assured you. “My home is protected from intruders, and all of the glass is now bulletproof and nigh unbreakable.”

“ _ Fine _ ,” you relented, and Loki leaned in to place another kiss on your forehead. A strange but comforting sense of calm had settled on your brain, and you felt an urge to wrap your arms around him, so you did. Feeling the solid weight of him in your arms after believing him to be dead for weeks made you want to stay, and it took every ounce of willpower in you to let him go and stand up to follow Vic outside.

You got to your car and started it without a word to Victoria, and she followed you until your paths diverged half a mile later. As soon as you saw her turn the corner going toward her house, you pulled into someone’s driveway and turned your car back around.

………………………………

Loki pulled his leather jacket off and placed it over your back as you shifted in your sleep. It had been little surprise to him to see you return without your friend, but what was surprising was your intention - you only wanted to ensure his safety, nothing more. Normally when mortal women came to his home it was for more lewd reasons; either they wanted a romp with him or for him to feed on them, or some combination of both. But Loki was quickly learning you were different. 

After all, your skin still buzzed with the retained power of his magic, a fortnight after he had healed you. He didn’t know how, but he knew it meant something. Having you fall asleep in his arms on his couch gave him a sense of peace he hadn’t felt in centuries, and knowing that you weren’t trying to use him for your own pleasures made your presence that much sweeter.

Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, Loki placed a hand over your forehead and ensured you were deep enough asleep to not hear anything and motioned for the girl to approach as she rounded the corner. Her skin was still deathly pale, as she had not yet fed since she had been turned. Loki had given her the last of the blood he had kept stored in his refrigerator to tide her over until his donor could come the next afternoon, but stored blood could only tame the thirst of a newborn so much. 

“I’m  _ hungry _ ,” she whined, her eyes raking over your sleeping form. 

Loki wrapped his arms around you posessively. “This human is off limits,” he snapped at her. “She mustn’t see you. Do as I said and stay upstairs. I promise you will feed well tomorrow. Then you can go to your new home.”

“But I -”

“I said  _ go _ !”

Loki stroked your hair, smiling as you nuzzled your head into his chest. Weakened or not, there was no way he was going to sleep as long as you were there. He couldn’t risk you waking up and going upstairs. His mission was far too important. 


End file.
